Saving Me
by Destiny45
Summary: Nick tries to prove to Madison he’s the guy for her as Xander and Vida start to discover their feelings for each other might extend beyond friendship. [Maddick, Vander]
1. Missed Opportunities

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. THIS FIRST CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE MYSTIC FORCE SERIES!!!  
_

**A/N: After I finished "Under Your Spell," I asked readers to vote on the pairings for my next Mystic Force story. Well, you asked for it, and here it finally is: my new Maddick/Vander story! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get around to it, but I needed to find the plotline I wanted, and also I got sidetracked with my SPD "Guy Talk, Girl Talk" trilogy. **

**As I said in the disclaimer, parts of this story are going to be slightly AU. The two most important details are far as background for this plot goes, especially with the first chapter, is that 1) the whole Nick/Madison "I want you to come back for me" blanket scene from the MF finale never happened and 2) Leelee never became friends with the rangers, began working at Rock Porium or started dating Phineas.**

**OK, now that you are in the "know," here we go with "Saving Me." Hope y'all enjoy! **

Missed Opportunities 

_(Takes place during and after the episode "Rock Solid")_

"Looks like Madison is really trying to come out of her shell," commented Nick as he watched her show her new admirer around the Rock Porium.

Yet Madison hooking up with another guy was not exactly what Nick had in mind when he suggested she shouldn't act as timid or shy. When he had chided her earlier in the Rock Porium for hiding behind her camera and being too afraid to ever put it out there, Nick had expected Madison would maybe take over as DJ for Vida or replace Xander as store supervisor for the day.

Nick hadn't expected to potentially lose the girl he had been crushing on since he had first arrived in Briarwood. Especially not to some curly haired, preppy, college jock.

"Yeah, but if that guy messes with my sister, he's going to have to deal with me," Nick heard Vida reply from up on the turntables in the stage.

"Don't worry," assured Nick. "She can take care of herself."

During the day's latest monster attack, Nick had learned that Madison's more reserved manner didn't mean she was a weak woman by any means -- on or off the battlefield. Still Nick knew he would always be trying to save Madison, if she ever needed help or was in danger. He just cared about the beautiful, blue Mystic Ranger that much.

Yet now as he regarded Madison with her possible new beau, Nick was left wondering if he had missed his opportunity to tell her.

He frowned as Madison showed the Rock Porium's bargain bin to her tall, dirty blonde and hard-bodied visitor, who clearly into his tour guide based on the way he stared at her dotingly and hung onto her every word. Nick had thought about asking Madison out. Yet between his new job and becoming Power Rangers along with his friends, Nick had never felt like it was the right time to strike up a romance in the midst of a battle between good and evil going on. He noticed Madison apparently felt differently on the topic of wartime romance though, at least from though way she was blushing and grinning pleased at her admirer.

Nick saw Madison leave her guy over by the vinyl records and start to make her way over towards him. He hurriedly buried himself in his clipboard, hoping Madison hadn't noticed him watching her and her guest. Yet a tap on his shoulder turned Nick around to find himself staring in the warm, chocolate eyes of the rosy-checked brunette.

"So, who's that guy who came into the shop looking for you?" Nick couldn't help himself from asking.

"Oh, Ben?" responded Madison. "He's a junior at Briarwood University. He actually came by to ask me out."

"Like on a date?" asked Nick, seeing Madison afterward give a nod of confirmation. "Well, do you like him?"

"Well, I mean, I just met the guy," replied Madison, blushing harder. "But Ben seems really nice. I guess there would be no harm in going out on a date with him. And like you said earlier, I should try to be more spontaneous and outgoing. Right?"

"Right," repeated Nick, internally smacking himself in the head for practically shoving the girl he liked into the arms of another guy.

"Ben and I met in the park earlier today," continued Madison. "I pushed him out of the way of the monster, so I ended up getting turned to stone by that birdbrain evil creep instead of him."

"That was really brave of you," said Nick admiringly.

"Anyway, I just wanted to thank you again for saving me earlier," said Madison, shoving her hands in her pockets and looking downward shyly as she scuffed her sneaker across the floor. "Vida told me it was you and your new motorcycle spell that saved me from being a stone statue for the rest of my life," she added lightly.

"No problem," responded Nick. "It was the least I could do after the way I wrongly accused you of being too shy and not being able to take care of yourself."

"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you did," said Madison gratefully as she turned to head back over to Ben. "You're a good friend, Nick," she added, calling over her shoulder.

_Friends_, repeated Nick grimly inside his head. Now that Ben was in the picture, it looked like that was all he and Madison were going to be.

* * *

_(Approximately one year later, after the end of the rangers' battle against the underworld evil) _

"Did I miss something?" asked Nick, sliding up beside Vida and Xander at the Rock Porium register. "Are my eyes playing trick on me, or is that our Madison over there, kissing Ben in the middle of the shop in front of everyone?!?"

"Nick, you're back!" greeted Vida, completely ignoring his question in her excitement that her friend had returned home to Briarwood. "Two months is really too long for you to be away!"

"How was the trip, mate?" asked Xander, clapping Nick on the shoulder. "Were your adoptive parents surprised to learn you had found your real ones?"

"Yeah, Udonna and Lienbow got along great with my adoptive parents," began Nick. "But seriously, is someone going to tell me what's going on here?" he asked again, gesturing toward Ben and Madison, who were swaying back in forth in each others' arms.

"Oh, Ben asked Maddie out again while you were away," answered Vida. "And they got back together. You know he only broke up with her the first time 'cause our rangering got in the way of her having time to have a real relationship. I guess Ben never really gave up on Maddie, and once he found out that she had been a Power Ranger, well his reason to break up with her as all old news."

"I can't believe Ms. Camcorder got a boyfriend before _moi_!" commented Leelee bitterly as she came over the counter where the three stood.

"Go away, Leelee!" begged Vida, gesturing for the town gossip to get lost.

"I guess thanks to your trip, you missed your opportunity again with Maddie again, mate," whispered Xander into Nick's ear as Vida tried -- with little attempt at civility -- to show Leelee the door.

"Thanks for reminding me, X," said Nick sarcastically to the one person who he had told about his crush.

"Nick, you're home!" exclaimed Madison, giving him a hug even as she continued to wave to Ben, who was heading out the Rock Porium door. "How was the trip?"

"Apparently not as exciting as your life has been lately," commented Nick, causing Madison to blush. "So how long have you and Ben been back together?"

"A little over a month now," replied Madison. "He keeps joking that if we had never broken up for those four months, we would be celebrating our one year anniversary right now."

"So, what's new with your Romeo?" teased Vida, having successfully passed Leelee off to talk with another customer across the shop.

"Ben invited me party at his college this weekend," answered Madison. "Apparently, they got some famous DJ to come play. Who did he say it was? DJ Wheezy? DJ Evy?"

"DJ EZ?!?" asked Vida, almost shouting in her jubilation. "Maddie, he's only like the best DJ ever! He's like a legend on the turntables!!!"

"A college party?" repeated Xander, raising his eyebrows. "I dunno if you should go, Maddie. Those things can get pretty wild and even dangerous sometimes."

"Oh, stop being so overprotective, Xander!" shushed Vida. "Maddie will be fine! Plus, she'll have Ben to look out for her. And it's not like Ben is some guy she just met."

"Even so, how are you going to get your parents' permission to let you go to a college party?" inquired Xander, making it obvious that he was directing his question at Madison.

"Our parents are going to be out of town this weekend, so there's no need to tell them!" cut in Vida, throwing her arm around her sister, who by now looked quite uncomfortable by the banter of her two friends.

"You know if Chip was back here from his term studying abroad in Europe with the world's top archery experts, I know he'd agree with me, too," said Xander firmly. "And Nick, tell Vida she's wrong…"

"Xander, I'll even go with Maddie, so she'll have two chaperones instead of one!" interrupted Vida. "Can I come, Maddie? Please?!?"

"I guess," agreed Madison timidly, still appearing bothered by Xander and Vida's hot debate.

"Yeah V, and I'm you're offering to go to this party out of your own purity of heart," said Xander sarcastically, turning to go. "And not because a certain DJ you adore is going to be playing."

"Does it matter as long I'm going???" pressed Vida, running alongside Xander. "I'm gonna get to see DJ EZ play. OOO, I'm so excited!!!" she taunted to him.

"So, I see V and Xander are still enjoying being at each others' throats," commented Nick to Madison as they watched the pair continued to argue.

"Not that much has changed while you were gone," mused Madison. "Hey Nick, do you think I should go to this college party with Ben? I really value your opinion."

"I think I've learned over this past year that you are strong enough to look out for yourself," replied Nick. "Still, if Xander decides that Ben and V still aren't enough chaperones for you…" he started tease.

"Thanks, Nick," responded Madison, playfully rolling her eyes. "I guess everyone will just have to wait to see what happens."

**A/N: And you will have to wait and see what happens between Madison and Nick! Will they ever get together, or will she stay with Ben? **

**But next chapter, Vida and Xander have a secret. Find out what it is coming up in "Saving Me." **


	2. Secret Sleepovers

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. Oh, and "The Real World"and "Harry Potter" do not belong to me either. _

Secret Sleepovers 

_(A few nights later)_

Vida thought she had lucked out years ago when a coin flip granted her the bigger of the sibling bedroom on the first floor of the Rocco family's ranch-style home.

She had a queen-sized bed, walk-in closet for her CD collection and more wall space to hang her music posters. Even though her room bordered her parents', Vida thought it was a small price to pay rather than having to live in Madison's closet-like dwelling area down the hall.

Yet ever since their mom and dad had started arguing until the wee hours of the morning almost every night, Vida would have given the world to trade living spaces with her sister.

"_Honey, if I get let go during my company's merger, I just can't see how we'll be able to stay in Briarwood,"_ Vida through her bedroom walls heard her dad say. _"There's just not a lot of other positions around in this town for a sea lion trainer."_

"_You have that job offer in Nebraska as a backup,"_ Vida heard her mother reply.

NEBRASKA?!? The thought of having to move from beachy Briarwood to land-locked Nebraska made Vida want to puke, especially since she was not a fan of country music.

"_The girls will be devastated if we have to move,"_ Vida heard her father protest.

"_It's better than not having food on the table,"_ her mother retorted.

"_Look, I still won't know anything for another few weeks, so at least we don't have to tell the girls anything yet,"_ her dad reminded.

Which was the exact reason Vida hadn't told to her parents that she had overheard their frequent fights about the family's future… or mentioned anything to Madison. With their being rangers this past year, their friends and family had been through enough tumultuous times. Now seeing her sister finally start to settle down into a normal lifestyle with a boy who adored her, Vida just didn't want to say anything to ruin her sister's current happiness.

As she heard her mother's voice pique, urging her father to push his job to find out about the firings sooner, Vida grimaced and covered her ears. Hearing her parents argue, along with the nauseating thought of having to leave Briarwood, was more than Vida could bear. As usual, Vida wanted, no needed, to get away.

Sliding into her fuzzy pink and black slippers, Vida threw her bathrobe over her rose-colored KISS t-shirt and violet boxers. Then, she cracked open her window, climbed through and hopped the short distance onto the ground below. And as she had done for so many nights now, Vida raced across the grass to her regular hideaway.

Xander left his bedroom window opened ever since his neighbor had started making her standard nighttime visits. Since Vida had begun staying over so often, Xander had frequently wished he had gotten a bedroom on the second story of his house. At the same time, Xander didn't mind having a sleep over buddy, especially as the mystery behind her bedtime rendezvous intrigued him… though still caused him grave concern.

"Back again?" mumbled Xander drowsily from his bed as he heard Vida climbing through his window. "That's the third time this week."

"Fine, I'll go if I am bothering you that much!" snapped Vida, starting to crawl back out.

"No, no, I don't mind," replied Xander as he tossed her usual pillow and green, quilted blanket onto the floor. "I'm used to having ladies stay over," he added, even the heavy sleep in his voice unable to mask his bravado.

"Like we need reminders of all your 'conquests,'" snorted Vida, shutting the window as she glared at Xander in his forest-colored nightshirt and grey sweatpants.

"Just don't come over this Friday," said Xander. "I might be bringing a date back."

"What's her name?" pressed Vida, knowing Xander well enough to guess what his response would be.

"It's… oh wait a minute… I got it!" Xander concluded finally. "It's Belle! Or is it Michelle? Mayb Trashelle? No, she was a character on a season of 'The Real World'…"

"You can't remember her name," said Vida, vocalizing the obvious.

"So?" shrugged Xander.

"She must not be that special to you if you can't even remember her name," deduced Vida, leaning back smugly against his bedroom wall. "Well, you don't have to worry. I won't be around on Saturday night. I'm going to Ben's college party with Madison, remember? The one you are so overly paranoid about us going to???"

Not hearing Xander respond, Vida grabbed the pillow and blanket he had tossed her. Curling up in a fetal position on the floor, Vida once again sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the Bly family had gone with the extra-plush carpeting. Yet no matter how often she tossed and turned or how hard she pressed her head into her pillow, the thought of having to leave Briarwood still haunted her mind.

"V, whatever the reason is that you've been coming over to sleep here so often, you know you can talk to me about it," Vida heard Xander's voice break through the darkness.

"Whatever," brushed off Vida, rolling away from him on the floor.

"Come on, I know we spat like cats and dogs all the time, but when the day's over, you know we're still best friends and that I'm there for you, right?" pressed Xander, propping himself up on one elbow.

"Yeah, that's why you let me sleepover and don't ask any question," said Vida pointedly. "Now, goodnight!"

Xander sighed as he flopped back down on his bed. With the ever-present chip on Vida's shoulder, he often mused that she should have been given the yellow Mystic Ranger's name. But it wasn't just his worry over why Vida was acting even moodier than usual that had Xander so stressed out these days.

Between carrying around knowledge of Vida's secret sleepovers and Nick's undisclosed crush on Madison, Xander frequently felt like a walking chamber of secrets.

* * *

"So spill your secret," Ben heard his roommate, Gabe, suddenly demand. "How are you gonna get your girlfriend to finally give it up?"

"You mean, are Madison and I finally going to sleep together?" asked Ben, seeing Gabe give a nod of confirmation in response.

"Come on, you already said she was no virgin," pressed Gabe.

"Yeah, Maddie had some serious boyfriend back in high school for like three years," answered Ben. "The broke up when they graduated last year, and he went off to college in France."

"So what's the hold up?" questioned Gabe. "Your girlfriend's hot."

"I mean, we've talked about it," acknowledge Ben, blushing slightly. "Who knows? And we've been together on and off for a year now. Maybe we'll even do it after the party this Saturday night."

"Well, in case she needs some coaxing," began Gabe, reaching into his nightstand drawer. "Here's a little something to help set the mood."


	3. Loosening Up

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

**A/N: There are wonderful music videos out there made by PR fans. So experimenting with "Saving Me," I am going to pick out a PR music video on YouTube to go with each chapter. These videos have NOT been made specifically to go along with "Saving Me," but ones that I happen to come across that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific chapter well.**

**I hope y'all will watch these great videos and let me know how you think they fit with each chapter. **

Chapter 3: Loosening Up

**Paired video: "Girls on Mystic Force" by Frankieprp9**

_(That Saturday night)_

"_Nice _Maddie, not everyone can pull off the 'sleezy in the jungle' look!" grinned Vida mischievously at her sister, who was wearing a blue, leopard-print tank top and black leather pants with sandals of the same color.

"I still can't believe you talked me into wearing this," said Madison self-consciously, running a hand nervously through her straight, dark hair as she stepped out of Vida's jeep to head to the party at her boyfriend's college.

"Ben will think you look hot," winked Vida as she brushed off her faded jeans and adjusted her own black bodice top with pink lace that accented the curves of her full chest.

"You really think so?" asked Madison; her insecurity causing her to wince.

"Please sister, we're gonna be the two hottest girls at this Briarwood University party!" exclaimed Vida. "Just look at all the guys checking us out!"

As if on cue, a pair of boys from across the parking lot whistled in the Rocco sisters' direction and gestured for them to come over. Madison and Vida both laughed as they waved the guys away. Vida locked her car, and the girls headed toward the building that was party central for the evening.

"Looks like there are gonna be a lot of single guys here tonight!" said Vida cheerfully. "Thank goodness I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Even though you and Xander do fight like an old married couple," teased Madison.

"He's on another 'big date' tonight," informed Vida sarcastically, making fake quotation marks in the air with her fingers. "Anyway, I'm just happy it appears you finally got over your big crush on Nick and have moved on with Ben. You deserve a guy who gives you the attention you deserve."

"Thanks," laughed Madison, before growing more serious. "Nick and I have been friends for a long time now, so if he wanted to be anything more, I'm sure he would have said something by this point. He's almost as good as giving people a piece of his mind as you are, Sis."

"If I had heard any sort of hint that Nick had been interested in you, I would have told you," sighed Vida. "Anyway, you're with Ben now, so that stuff with Nick is all in the past."

"Right, all in the past," repeated Madison firmly, nodding her head to add the double affirmation. "I'm with Ben now."

The girls pushed open the dorm door and were met with a deafening blast of techno music, being spun by the legendary DJ EZ. The smells of alcohol and sweat overwhelmed them as their eyes scanned across the sea of bodies grinding and gyrating up against one another. Madison's eyes closed in horror as her sister's widened with pleasure as if she had just seen the Holy Land.

"This is AWESOME!!!" said Vida, beside herself with excitement. "I have GOT to try and meet DJ EZ! Let's go, Sis!!!" she added, grabbing Madison's hand and dragging her into the party.

"Something to drink, Ladies?" an older girl handing out large, plastic cups near the doorway entrance offered.

"No, thank you," replied Madison politely.

"Great, you're the designated driver!" said Vida eagerly, grabbing the cup and starting to pour herself beer from a nearby keg.

"VIDA, we're not 21 yet!!!" hissed Madison worriedly into her sister's ear.

"But we will be in a few years!" grinned Vida devilishly as she took a huge swig of the golden, fizzy alcohol. "LIGHTEN UP, Maddie! You're gonna drive my car home tonight, and Mom and Dad are away in… Nebraska."

"That's so sweet they are taking a second honeymoon," smiled Madison.

Vida, however, knew better that purpose of her parents' trip to America's heartland was for one of business rather than pleasure, so that their dad could check out his potential, new sea lion training job in case he got fired from his current position in Briarwood during his company's current reshuffling. The anxiety over still keeping her sister in the dark about their possible move along with the constant worry that she was going to be pulled away from her home made Vida feel perpetually sick.

She felt like she had to vomit, and not from the beer. Hoping to swallow away these sobering thoughts as she drained her drink, Vida went to pour herself another cup of alcohol. Madison shook her head in dismay as she watched her sister.

"I don't think I was the one Xander needed to be worried about," Madison commented under her breath. "I'm going to go find Ben," she said more loudly.

"Have fun, I'm gonna go see if I can push my way up to DJ EZ's platform," replied Vida as she marched off in the other direction with her second cup of beer.

"Now what's a beautiful girl like you doing all alone?" Madison heard someone whisper into her ear seconds later.

"Ben!" said Madison; her face splitting into a huge grin as she spun around to see her boyfriend. "Thank goodness! Hey, do you want to dance?"

"Not really," replied Ben, giving his girlfriend a gentle kiss on the lips in greeting. "It's so loud, and I'm not a big fan of techno."

"Awww, come on!" pushed Madison. "I might not be into all this drinking and debauchery, but this DJ EZ is actually just as good as my sister claimed he was. Let's go dance!"

"Let's go to my room first," urged Ben, taking Madison's hand and leading her away. "You know I don't want to share you with anyone else."

"Okkk," relented Madison slowly. "As long as we can come back here and dance later."

"Anything for you, Maddie," responded Ben, kissing her again.

* * *

Vida stared like a devoted worshipper up at the stage where DJ EZ was pumping out the techno tunes. She wasn't sure if it was the ecstasy of seeing her music idol live or all the beer she had been drinking, but before long, Vida found herself subconsciously swaying in a sexy manner along to the sounds she was finding at this moment so intoxicating. Vida was in such a state of euphoria that she didn't even flinch when she felt pair of hands run down her sides and onto her hips. 

"You're a really good dancer," she heard a guy whisper as smooth as silk into her ear.

"Thanks," replied Vida, spinning around to face him.

With his almost seven-foot frame, lanky body, longish brown hair and mysterious dark eyes, Vida's attraction to the stranger was instant. His pierced ears, Van Halen t-shirt and tongue ring was all she needed to seal deal. Desire coursed through Vida's veins. Or was it the alcohol, she wondered. Either way, she didn't care.

It looked like Xander wasn't the only one with a hot, new date tonight, Vida chuckled mischievously to herself.

"I'm Vida," she introduced.

"Kurt," replied the boy as he shook her hand and then proceeded to guide it up around his neck. "Let's dance. Do you go to Briarwood University?"

"Uhhh, sure," lied Vida, starting to swivel even more seductively against him in the hopes he wouldn't press the topic.

"I haven't seen you around before," responded Kurt. "I am sure I would have noticed a girl as hot as yourself."

"Thanks," grinned Vida. "So, what's your major?"

"Biology," answered Kurt before breaking into a playful smile. "Specifically, human anatomy."

"Funny," replied Vida, sounding innocent despite the devilishly thoughts running through her head. "Human anatomy is my specialty."

* * *

Madison had been in Ben's room many times over the year they had dated on and off, but never when there was a party on the scale that was going on down the hall tonight. Only a few doors down from the dance floor with DJ EZ was spinning, Madison could feel the music literally shaking the floor boards. 

"Come here, you!" growled Ben, grabbing Madison around the waist as the fell back against his twin-sized bed.

Madison giggled as her body hit the soft bedding, but her mouth was soon otherwise occupied, first by Ben's lips and then his tongue, which she did not mind one bit. She did not mind either when Ben slipped one of his hands up her shirt; it had been done before. In fact, she didn't mind anything Ben was doing -- from the tiny kisses he was trailing along her collarbone to the sensuous way he was cupping her chest -- until he reached for the zipper of her pants.

"Hey, slow down there," said Madison, instantly sitting up and pulling down her sapphire, animal-print tank top.

"What's wrong?" asked Ben. "You don't want to do this?"

"No," replied Madison immediately. "No, I mean, yes I do want to do this, with you. 'Cause I know it's something we've never done before. But no, I don't want to do this tonight."

"Why not? It's not like you're a virgin, and we've been together for a long time now," questioned Ben, leaving Madison wondering if the slight annoyance she heard in her voice was just in her imagination.

"Yeah, I know," relented Madison. "But we've only been back together for a little over a month. And your roommate could walk in on us at any moment."

"Gabe's going to be at the party for the rest of the night," countered Ben tiredly. "Plus, that's why door locks were invented."

"I was hoping our first time together would be more romantic than this," Madison sighed wistfully, gesturing around his dorm room where the techno music from the party down the hall was still shaking the floor panels.

"Come on, Maddie," urged Ben, starting to kiss her neck. "I… We've waited a long time to do this. Besides, it doesn't matter where we are. All that matters is that we are together."

"I don't think so," replied Madison uneasily.

"Shhh, it's OK," soothed Ben as he tried to lay her back down on his bed.

"I said NO, OK?!?" shouted Madison loudly, pushing Ben off her and leaping up.

"OK, OK, no, I get it. Hey, look at me, Come on, look at me," Ben urged, continuing to cup the cheek of a resistant Madison until she finally gave in and was gazing into his hazel eyes. "I got carried away. I'm sorry. I can't help myself sometimes. You know you're beautiful."

Madison cracked a small smile, and Ben left out an audibly sigh of relief.

"Can we go back down the hall and dance now?" asked Madison timidly.

"Okkkkk," said Ben slowly, looking like he was thinking hard. "But how about a drink first? And nothing alcoholic," he added before his girlfriend could start to protest. "I know you're not into that stuff. How about just some plain cranberry juice on the rocks?"

"Sounds good," responded Madison, visibly loosening up much to Ben's relief. "Just one drink and then we'll go dance."

"Sure," agreed Ben as he walked over to his mini-fridge to get the drink and, making sure Madison wasn't looking, reached into his nightstand dresser drawer.

It looked like he was gonna need that help Gabe gave him a few days earlier after all with Madison, Ben thought to himself.


	4. Party SOS

_Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. Paired __videos __have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan __fic__ well._

**A/N: With just a few days of voting left, I just found out that another of my fan fics, ****"Wild Storm"****, has been nominated for ****Best Wild Force story**** over at the 2007 Hope for the World Awards. I hope y'all will check the site out! The link is on my profile page. **

Chapter 4: Party S.O.S.

**Paired**** video: ****"My Sister" by born2reborn**

_(A short while later) _

"Are woo...you… s-s-sure thewe w-was justtt cranwburry juice in herrreee?" slurred Madison a short while later after downing her drink.

Yeah, cranberry juice and a little roofie, thought Ben to himself.

He had spiked Madison's juice with a roofie, or rohypnol it was officially known, just before he had given it to her to drink. Ben hadn't wanted to use the date-rape drug Gabe gave him on Madison. Only after a year of on-and-off-again dating, Ben had concluded some chemical help was the only way he was ever going to get some sexual action from his chastely tight girlfriend.

"I..I… dun feel sooo gooood," he heard Madison mumble.

"Lie down," soothed Ben as he helped Madison fall back on the bed. "Good," he said softly as he started to unzip her pants.

"Nooooooo," moaned Madison sluggishly, shaking her head from side to side.

"Just be quiet, Maddie," replied Ben.

"Leave me alone," whimpered Madison as her drugged up state left her too weak to physically offer any resistance. "Please stop..."

Ben was too busy running his hands up Madison's shirt to notice her reach for her cell phone. Unable to think all the way clearly or regain full control over her actions, Madison hit the first button she could on her cell phone.

"Help…." She whispered desperately into the receiver.

* * *

_(Meanwhile)_

"Vida, let's go to your room," suggested Kurt breathlessly after the two had been making out for almost a half-hour.

"Ummm, you know what, yours is better," replied Vida, not drunk enough to forget that she had lied to Kurt and told him she did in fact attend Briarwood University.

"Sick roommate," replied Kurt. "You live in this building?"

The Q&A was halted briefly as the pair resumed their lustrous make-out session.

"Across campus," gasped Vida when she came up for air. "Way, way across campus."

"I… I got my car," offered Kurt.

"Great," said Vida, not missing a beat as she grabbed his hand. "Let's go there!"

"Darn, my cell phone is vibrating! Hold on," complained Kurt to Vida. "Hello? MOM!... I can't hear… Right NOW?!? But you said I could stay till midnight. This stinks!"

"I'm sorry, but do you NOT go to school here?!?" asked Vida incredulously when Kurt hung up.

"No," admitted Kurt sheepishly. "But these parties are a great place to meet college girls… So, can I still have your number?"

"What kind of loser pretends they're in college?!?" asked Vida disdainfully, forgetting her own fib only a short while earlier.

"I'll take that as a no," said Kurt as he walked away.

Giving a grunt of disgust, Vida realized she had not remembered to put her own cell phone on vibrator. Flipping open her phone, Vida saw she had a missed call. Five missed calls to be exact, she noticed a second later, raising her eyebrows as a result. Hitting the voicemail key, Vida pressed the receiver to her ear as she tried to hear the messages above DJ EZ's techno music.

"Help…" he heard a woozy Madison slurring over and over again on the playback. "Help… help…Ben stopp… please stop Ben…help..."

Vida's heart practically stopped in horror. Not only to her did Madison sound ill, but she sounded like she was in serious trouble. Vida's shock was only magnified by the fact that Madison's messages seemed to indicate Ben the reason behind her current state of danger.

Vida knew where Ben's dorm room was located in the building. Being the Rocco sister who owned the car, Vida had dropped Madison off there many times before. Yet she had never tried to navigate her way there after drinking three beers. Still, Vida was just sober enough to find her way. Unfortunately, she realized she was too drunk not to make it without stumbling.

"Woah there," said a college guy as he grabbed Vida before she could hit the floor. "You OK?!?"

"I think my sister's in trouble. I need to get inside," replied Vida, realizing she had fallen right outside Ben's room. "Damnit, the door is locked!!! My sister's in here! Get it open for me, please!!!"

The college guy gave the door a few hard pushes, and much to her relief seconds later, Vida saw the rusty and fragile lock snap into two. Racing into the room, Vida gasped in horror as she saw Ben bent over a pale and sickly-looking Madison, whose tank top was hiked above her bra and pants were halfway down her thighs. Rage instantly ran through Vida's veins.

"Get off Madison NOW!!!!" shrieked Vida, shoving Ben as hard as she could. "Get away from my sister!!!"

Hate fueled Vida's attacks: hate at what Ben had done to Madison, hate at what more he may have possibly done to her, hate that she had left her sister alone… and hate that if she herself hadn't been drinking that she could have beaten her sister's attacker to a bloody pulp by now.

Summoning all her strength through her drunken fog, a last ram from Vida sent Ben toppling off his bed.

"You hurt my sister!!!" shouted Vida furiously.

"She's lying," snorted Ben to the crowd that had now gathered around his open door. "Her sister's just wasted. I didn't do anything to her."

Looking at Madison's sluggish expression and given the fact that she herself was currently drunk, Vida saw her sister wasn't "just wasted." Also, Vida knew Madison well enough to realize her virtuous sister would rather clean up the Rock Porium by herself than ever drink underage.

Yet as she tugged her sister's shirt back down and pulled up her pants, a quick examination assured Vida that at least Ben had committed certain heinous acts on Madison. Vida sent up a short prayer of thanks that the creep had not gotten the chance to fully violate her sister. Wrapping Madison's arm around her shoulder, Vida helped her sister out of Ben's room.

"She shouldn't drink so much," Ben called after them.

Struggling under the weight of Madison, who kept slumping over in her woozy state, Vida slowly dragged her sister toward the doorway. Once outside, she sat Madison down on the steps and leaned her sister's head on shoulder as she reached for her cell phone. Vida felt her drunken haze lift slightly as the pair was met by the chilly, night air outside the building. Still, Vida knew she was in no condition to drive, and Madison was in far worse.

She couldn't call their parents. There was nothing they could do from halfway across the country in Nebraska. Chip was in Europe. And even if she wasn't ready to admit to Xander that he had been right about the party, Vida knew he wouldn't be able to help as he didn't have a mode of transportation besides his own feet.

Finally figuring out who to call, Vida's fingers dialed the number shakily.

"Hello, Nick?" Vida spoke into the phone; her voice quivering. "We need help. Madison's in trouble. Can you come over on your motorcycle right away and drive us home in my car?"


	5. Pray She is OK

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan fic well._

Chapter 5: Pray She's OK

**Paired**** video: ****"****Stop The ****Tears"**** by born2reborn**** (which was actually done for a different Nick/Madison/Ben love triangle story on ****called "Face Down" ****by Madison Russell) **

_(A short while later) _

A still slightly tipsy Vida couldn't keep her eyes from scanning back and forth, like she was watching a tennis match, across the Briarwood University campus parking for the sight of Nick's motorcycle. Sitting on the building steps outside the party, Vida was beyond eager to get her sister, still pale and half-conscious -- home and away from Ben, the ex-boyfriend who had apparently given Madison something to make her so weak and sick.

Not to mention Vida wanted also to be as far as possible from the scene of her drunken and promiscuous behavior earlier in her night that had involved three cups of beer and a random hook-up with a guy whose name she could not even remember now. How Vida wished she had not been so party hardy and just looked after her sister like she was supposed to. How she wished she had just listened to Xander and had not gone to the party at all…

"Is your sister doing OK?" Vida suddenly heard someone ask, turning around to recognize the woman who had been handing out the drink cups when they had first entered the party what now felt like an eternity ago.

"I don't know," replied Vida worriedly. "She can't stay awake."

"Do you know where you are? Do you know your name?" the woman asked Madison.

"Just… dizzy," Madison mumbled in response.

"Vida!!!" a male voice interrupted anxiously.

"Nick, thank goodness!" replied Vida. "I'm sorry. Our parents are out of town, and I didn't know who else to call."

"Is she OK?" asked Nick softly, leaning down by Madison and brushing a strand of her long, dark hair out of her face.

"She's not drunk," replied the woman. "I think she was given a sedative. We just need to know what it was."

Nick and Vida simultaneously turned to look at the woman with surprise.

"I'm in medical school," the woman explained.

"OK Vida, I need you to show me where Ben's room is," said Nick, seeing Vida nod in response as tears filled her eyes. "Can you stay with her?" he then asked the woman, gesturing toward Madison.

"Sure," replied the woman, helping to shift Madison over from Vida's shoulder to her own.

"Alright V, let's go," said Nick, grabbing her hand and helping her off the steps.

"It's loud and packed in here," shouted Vida as they entered the party. "Stay close to me," she added, grabbing his hand and pulling him near.

"Vida… have you been drinking?!?" asked Nick slowly, able to smell her breath now that he was so close to her.

"Yes," answered Vida, turning to Nick shame-faced. "I know, I'm…"

"Not 21 yet," cut in Nick, giving her a pointed look.

"Well, that too," acknowledged Vida, growing even more guilt-stricken. "But I was going to say responsible for what happened to Maddie."

"You can't blame yourself," replied Nick. "It's not like Ben and Maddie hadn't been alone together before in his dorm room. And whether you had been drinking or not, nobody could have called that Ben would try to pull something like this."

"OH NO, they're gone!!!" exclaimed Vida as she and Nick arrived at Ben's room to find the door wide open and all its inhabitants emptied out.

"Are you looking for Ben and Gabe?" a college girl asked, coming up to them.

"Gabe…" repeated Vida, looking confused. "Oh, that's Ben's roommate. Yeah. Do you know where they are?" she asked with urgent desperation in her voice.

"Yeah, they went into my room right here with my friends," answered the college girl.

"Can you let us inside?" asked Nick urgently.

"Sure, but why? Is something wrong?" she asked, seeing the pair grow even more tense and upset as she unlocked her room.

"Go get your R.A.," responded Nick in such a stricken tone that sent the girl immediately running off to find the residential advisor in charge of students living in the building.

Kicking upon the door with his foot, they were met with the sight of Ben and Gabe lounging on a bed with drinks in one of their hands and their others resting on the flock of females perched nearby. Glancing up to see Nick and Vida wearing matching expressions of rage, Ben at first look surprised, but quickly covered it up as he got up off the bed and walked toward the pair.

"Hey, is Maddie alright?" he asked coolly, turning to Vida.

Ben's nonchalance about a move that almost could have cost Madison her life sent Nick over the edge. He lunged at Ben, grabbing his shoulders by the jacket and shoving the college boy up against the wall. Nick looked on disgustedly as Ben for the first time -- now that he was in danger and too drunk to defend himself -- began to appear concerned.

"What did you put in Maddie's drink?" yelled Nick.

"I didn't put anything in there," Ben responded quickly.

"You can tell me, or you can tell the police," said Nick through gritted teeth.

"It was nothing, bro," said Ben nervously. "Alright? It was just one roofie."

Vida gasped in horror open hearing her sister had been given the date rape drug and again sent up a prayer that Ben had not gotten the chance to go through with his plan. Nick meanwhile appeared just as shocked and now felt sick himself. Ben had almost seriously violated Madison, and Nick wasn't going to give him a chance to do it to any other girls.

"Where are the roofies???" Nick yelled again.

Ben merely laughed in response, and Nick felt his blood boil even more rapidly. Slamming Madison's attacker up against the wall again, Nick pummeled his fist into Ben's jaw as hard as he could.

"I said, where are the roofies???" Nick repeated threateningly.

"Gabe has them. Just give it to him!!!" Ben shouted at his roommate.

Seeing the scared look on Ben's face, Gabe produced the sheet of drugs and handed it over shakily to Nick. Pocketing the pills, Nick smiled gratefully at Ben… before punching him forcefully in the face one last time.

"You better prayer that she's is OK," he hissed as he let go over Ben and grabbed Vida's hand to go.

* * *

_(An hour later)_

This was not how Nick had pictured being inside Madison's bedroom for the first time as he pulled a blue blanket over the sleeping beauty. Madison now looked so serene and at ease as she slept that Nick would have never been able to detect the horrible drama of what she had gone through earlier that night. Seeing Vida gesturing to him as she sat at the computer on Madison's white desk, Nick forced himself to wretch his eyes away from the girl of his dreams.

"Says here she'll be disoriented, may have some short term memory loss, which is maybe not a bad thing," commented Vida as she read out loud from a medical Web site.

"How long until the effects of the drug wear off?" asked Nick.

"Overnight, probably," replied Vida. "Think she'll be OK?"

"I don't know, V," answered Nick worriedly.

"I feel terrible," grimaced Vida. "I still feel like it's all my fault, and if I hadn't been drinking…"

"Look, what's done is done," cut in Nick. "And you did get her out of there. The med student said Madison is gonna be OK, right? So, we just need to watch her until she wakes up."

"I can do it," said Vida. "You've done way too much already."

"I don't mind hanging out," offered Nick. "I'd worry about her too much if I took off anyway. Plus, we both know you are still a little drunk. Why don't you go back to your room and get some sleep so you'll be awake to drive me back to campus tomorrow so I can pick up my motorcycle?"

"Wake me up if she gets worse, OK?" asked Vida.

"Will do,' replied Nick. "And Vida, this isn't your fault."

Vida got up without a word and shuffled tiredly out of Madison's room. After she left, Nick sat down at the foot of Madison's wooden, sleigh bed. It was at that moment he suddenly felt the covers shift under him.

"Hey," said Nick warmly as he saw Madison's eyes flutter open. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good," replied Madison feebly. "What are you doing here?"

"You don't remember last night, huh?" asked Nick, getting up and going over to kneel on the floor beside her where she lay in bed.

"I remember Vida and I went to the party at Ben's college," said Madison.

"Ben slipped you something in your drink. Vida called me to help out. No no, nothing happened," reassured Nick quickly, seeing Madison start to look panicked. "Vida stopped him."

"I can't believe this…" murmured Madison as tears started to appear in her eyes. "Where is Vida?"

"She's sleeping," responded Nick. "Vida stopped Ben, but not before she had a little too much to drink."

"I do remember that part," said Madison slowly.

"Just go back to sleep now, Maddie," urged Nick soothingly. "You'll feel better in the morning."

"Thanks again," she smiled weakly before her eyes slowly closed. "First the time that monster turned me to stone and now this. You're always saving me, Nick," she murmured after a short pause.

Her head ached and her body felt drained, yet her mind felt at ease knowing Nick was there. He had been beside her through so much this past year as the leader of the rangers and as her friend, just having him there made her feel like everything would be alright.

"I love you, Maddie," where the last words heard whispered into the air before she slipped back into sleep.


	6. You Were Right

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan fic well._

Chapter 6: You Were Right

**Paired**** video: ****"****Welcome to my life" by spdekapink **

Though Nick had insisted on watching over Madison so Vida could sleep off her still slightly drunken state, the pink party girl was in no mood to go to bed.

She instead stripped and headed for the shower, deeply inhaling the hot steam in the hopes that it would provide her some sort of redemptive purification from all the grievous mistakes she had made that night. Vida desperately wished the water would wash away the guilt she felt as easily it did the sweat from the dance floor and traces of spilled alcohol. She rubbed the soap furiously against her skin, wanting to remove the memories of her drinking too much, hooking up with some random guy and leaving her sister alone with a boyfriend who turned about to be a rapist plotter.

Yet no amount of alcohol or showering could remove for Vida how dirty she felt about making out with some guy whose name she couldn't even remember or the horrible recollection of her finding Ben crouched over Madison, about to rape the girl he had just drugged. Vida couldn't stop the scenes from running continuously in her head, just like all the recent nights she had lay awake replaying the sounds of her parents' arguing over their family's potential recollection across the country.

And as usual when she was upset, Vida just wanted to get away.

Vida pulled her light bathrobe over her black boxers and white tank top that bore the image of tiny, pink headphones. Once her slippers were on, Vida crawled out her window and raced across the lawn to her usual nighttime hideaway.

"Xander, are you awake?" whispered Vida as she looked into her neighbor's bedroom where she had spent so many evenings recently.

"Don't worry V, I didn't bring my date back here tonight," called Xander.

"Oh," replied Vida, having completely forgotten Xander's earlier request that she not come by that night in case the mood for romance was right with his lady friend. "I can go…" she started hesitantly.

"Don't bother," yawned Xander, tossing her regular pillow and blanket onto the carpet. "Your stuff's already on the floor."

"Thanks," mumbled Vida, pulling the fabric over her as she flopped on her side facing away from him.

"You know V, I kept thinking tonight about what you said to me a few days ago," began Xander after a short silence.

"Which was?" asked Vida tersely, not really in the mood to talk in her exhaustion from the evening's earlier events.

"I couldn't recall who I was going out with tonight until Nichelle called me right before we were supposed to meet at the restaurant," recounted Xander. "And you said, that if I couldn't remember my date's name beforehand, she must not be that special. And it turned out she wasn't. You were right, V."

_You were right_ were the last words Vida wanted to hear now, considering she had been wrong about encouraging Madison to go to the college party and wrong about insisting Ben was a trustworthy guy. Silent tears began to trickle down Vida's cheeks. Yet with her back to Xander, the boy remained temporarily oblivious as he rambled on about his opinion on his guest's good judgment.

"Nichelle was just like all the other girls I go out with. They're all hot, but then we go out to dinner, and all they want to talk about is shopping or the drama going on with their friends or, worse, ex-boyfriends," shuttered Xander. "And all I'm thinking the entire time is, 'Is it really worth the torture listening to this stuff just so I can hook up with her later?' I mean, there has to be a beautiful girl with actual, interesting things to say out there for me…"

And that was when Xander finally heard Vida's sniffling, causing him to halt his tirade in its tracks. Vida had managed to hide her face, but she couldn't cover up the sound of her sorrows. Realizing Vida wasn't coming down with a cold, Xander's mood instantly shifted from cynical to sympathetic as he slipped out from under his bedcovers and landed softly on the floor next to her.

"Hey V, why are you crying?" he questioned quietly, laying a hand on her heaving shoulders.

"I screwed up, Xander," sobbed Vida, still facing away from him as she stayed curled up on her side. "I really screwed up. Ben slipped Maddie the date rape drug at the college party, and he almost took advantage of her. And where was I while my sister was in trouble? Getting drunk and hooking up with some random guy on the dance floor."

Vida didn't want to turn around to see Xander respond. She couldn't bare to face the disgust she knew would now be written all over he face. The thought only made Vida only start to cry harder.

"Is Maddie going to be OK?" she finally heard Xander ask somberly.

"Yeah, I got there just in time, so Ben didn't get the chance to…" Vida's voice fell off, unable to reiterate the horrible act that almost occurred to her sister out loud. "Anyway, the med student who examined Maddie at the party said she should be OK. Nick came and drove us home. He's there at the house now, watching over her. He sent me to go get some sleep, but I couldn't so…"

"… so you came over here, like always," finished Xander.

"You must think I'm an idiot," said Vida.

"No," responded Xander instantly. "I think you were very brave."

"Wha--what? stuttered Vida, flipping over to face him.

"Hey, you got Maddie out of there," explained Xander, leaning back against the side of his bed. "And yes, while you shouldn't have been drinking, at least you were smart enough not to drink and drive drunk."

"But you were right. I shouldn't have gone to the college party," sighed Vida; her tears finally starting to subside.

"What happened to Maddie tonight wasn't your fault," stressed Xander. "No one of us could have predicted Ben would have turned out to be such a creep. And you know, college parties are usually just harmless fun. I was being a little overprotective of you girls the other day, but it was just 'cause I care about you both."

"Why didn't I just listen to you?" Vida continued to dwell in her regret.

"Because you never listen to anyone, V," chuckled Xander. "You are the most difficult, stubborn and independent person I've ever met. And I hope you never change."

"Xander…" said Vida in surprise, sitting up slowly.

"You're a good person, Vida Rocco," said Xander firmly. "I know you don't believe that right now, we'll get through this. We'll always be together. Wait, why are you crying again?" he added, seeing the tears once again begin to trickle down her cheeks.

"You… you promise not to tell anyone?" begged Vida.

"Of course," responded Xander immediately.

"My dad's company is cutting jobs 'cause of money issues, and the only place they currently have a sea lion training position open is in Nebraska," said Vida, not meeting Xander's eye. "So if my dad gets cut, Maddie and I are gonna be moving soon into a little house on the prairie. My room is next to my parents' and I can here them arguing about it every night."

"Oh V, come here," soothed Xander as the shaking and sobbing Vida crawled into his arms. "So that's why you've been sleeping over here so often."

"Everything's so messed up right now," cried Vida. "Maddie, my dad's job…"

"Hey, not matter what happens, you always have me," cut in Xander gently. "And the rest of our friends."

"Well, you have been right about a lot of stuff lately, so I guess I'll just have to trust you on this one," replied Vida, shooting him a wry smile.

"Hey, you were right about a lot of stuff too, you know," countered Xander.

"Like what?" pressed Vida as her sniffles began to halt.

"Like…that I keep going out with girls just 'cause they're hot and not 'cause I'm ever really going to care about them or want to get serious with them," admitted Xander hesitantly.

""Hey, not matter what happens, you always have me," teased Vida, repeating his earlier words. "And our friends. So stop being all mopey."

"And you stop crying," ordered Xander tenderly, brushing away the remaining tears glistening on her face.

"Thanks, Xander. For everything. You've really been amazing this past few weeks," said Vida softly.

"You're always amazing," chuckled Xander, leaning his forehead against hers so that they were both smiling into each others' eyes. "In more ways than one," he added teasingly, to which Vida just grinned broader in pleased acknowledgement.

The pair's eyelids slowly shut as their two's noses gently touched. Vida's hand hesitantly slid up Xander's arms toward his shoulder as he moved cautiously to cup her check. Timidly, their lips started to move toward the others.

And then they kissed.


	7. Two Steps Back

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan __fic__ well._

Chapter 7: Two Steps Back

**Paired**** video: ****"****Shy Girl" by rytanya26 (Nick/Madison) and "****Mad ****About**** You****" by ****spdekapink****Xander****/Vida)**

_(A few days later)_

Xander had been giving Vida some hands-on supervision at the Rock Porium in recent days. For instance right now, he had his hands on Vida's spread thighs as he wedged himself in between them to kiss her lips hungrily. Perched on the desk in the back office, Vida moaned pleased as Xander's mouth found hers, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck in order to pulls his chest as close to hers as possible. The next thing Vida knew, Xander's kisses had become so filled with passionate force that she found herself falling backward on the desk.

"No… no… we have to stop," Vida breathed heavily as she pushed Xander off her, despite her body's screaming in protest.

"You didn't sound like you were having a bad time," grinned Xander cockily, still gripping her jean-covered thighs.

"Shuddup," retorted Vida, swatting him in the chest as she sat up and pulled down her pink tank top.

"What's the big deal?" asked Xander. "Everyone knows about us."

"Yeah, but we still haven't talked about if we're…" began Vida, but was cut off as Xander started to nibble on her neck. "Xander… _Xander_…" she repeated, this time more of a desirous groan than a complaint.

Now, Vida gave into her body's demands, letting out a cry of delirious pleasure as Xander's lips tantalized the skin of her jaw line. Subconsciously, she found her hands slipping under his green T-shirt and growing more excited as she touched his rock-hard six-pack. Vida this time let herself begin to fall backward on the desk…

Then suddenly, the action was cut off as the pair heard the sound of the door opening.

"Ohmygosh, I'm sorry!" they heard someone apologize in a flustered tone.

"Nick!" gasped Vida, seeing her friend spin around and shield his eyes at the sight of finding her and Xander in such a comprising position.

"It's no big deal, mate," said Xander, though his tone indicated otherwise.

"Well I'm gonna leave before this gets anymore awkward, but I just wanted to tell you guys that Maddie just called, and said she's coming back to work today," said Nick.

"Wow, her first day back since the night of the college party when Ben…" mused Xander.

"Please don't talk about it again," cut in Vida, not wanting to remember how her sister was given the date rape drug and almost violated by her boyfriend of the time. "Wait, how did Maddie say she was getting here? I took our car this morning."

"Your mom is dropping her off. Now can I please go?" begged Nick, pointing to the still pink-faced and dishelved looking pair.

"Go, go," waved Xander as Nick, looking relieved, quickly shut the door behind him.

"We should get back out there, but I can come over tonight, and we can watch a movie again," suggested Vida somewhat shyly as they made their way toward the door.

"That would be great! Oh wait," backtracked Xander, smacking his forehead. "I forgot. I have a date tonight."

"You have a what?!?" repeated Vida, spinning around to face him in surprise.

"No, no, it's not like that!" replied Xander quickly. "This was setup before you and I, you know, and with everything that's been going on with us and with Maddie, I had just forgotten about it. And I'd feel really bad if I canceled tonight 'cause she bought us concert tickets, and she's new in town, so I doubt she has anybody else to go with…"

"Oh," was all the normally opinionated Vida found she could muster.

"Besides, it's not like you want us to be a couple or together or anything like that," continued Xander hastily. "I mean, unless, do you want us to be a couple?"

"Do you?" shot back Vida, crossing her arms across her chest defensively.

"Look, I don't want to play this game right now, V," replied Xander tiredly. "My shift is over. I'm going home to get ready for my date tonight, and I'll call you when I get back so we can talk about this."

"Whatever," grumbled Vida as she pushed open the door and walked onto the main floor of the Rock Porium.

"V, come on, Vida…" pleaded Xander gently as he tried to kiss her check.

"Just go," exclaimed Vida, causing customers and Nick at the register to turn around and stare.

"Oooo, a lover's quarrel," said Leelee excitedly as she walked over to get a better listen.

"Fine, I won't go tonight if it's giving you the personality of an old, scratchy CD," said Xander sarcastically.

Vida marched across the Rock Porium to the store's entrance and pushed open the door wide, much to the surprise of her sister, who had just arrived and happened to have been standing there. Vida didn't notice Madison however, as she was still too busy glaring at the gaping Xander.

"JUST GO!" Vida yelled at him, gesturing her hand toward the exit.

"Unbelievable," shouted Xander at her, giving Nick an exasperated glare as he walked past the register on his way toward the door. "Welcome back, Maddie," he added gruffly as he pushed past her.

"Yeah, welcome back, Sis," added Vida gruffly before bee -lining back to the rear office and slamming the door.

Madison looked confusedly back and forth in confusion between Nick and the now closed office door, trying to make sense out of what had just happened. Nick smiled back at her and just shook her head. Seeing that the customers, even Leelee, had resumed their browsing, Madison made her way over to Nick at the register.

"How are you feeling?" asked Nick gently.

"Better thanks," replied Madison. "Vida told me stopped by to see how I was doing again. I'm sorry I was asleep."

"No prob, but are you sure you're ready to be back at work?" asked Nick concernedly.

"I just really want to put what happened behind me," answered Madison firmly, not meeting his intense gaze. "But umm Nick, about what you said the other night? When you brought me home from the party?"

"Ooo, yeah?" asked Nick, turning red as he realized Madison must of heard through her sleepy, drug-induced haze after all that he had told her he loved her.

"Umm, you're cool with us just being friends, right? I mean, we're friends. Right?" asked Madison nervously, still not looking him in the eyes.

"We are," responded Nick, trying to hide his disappointment from showing on his face.

"OK," said Madison, relief seeping into her voice.

"And I'm cool with it," continued Nick, trying to make light of the situation. "Besides, I wasn't ready for all that Madison Rocco/girlfriend drama anyways, you know?"

Madison nodded in response.

"Umm, it looks Leelee is waving me over. I guess I better go help her," said Nick somewhat awkwardly. "I'll be back."

Madison watched as Nick made his way over to the blonde, who was tossing her long curls over her shoulder and smiling at him broadly. She knew it was no secret that Leelee had always had a crush on Nick. And Madison didn't want to be with Nick, so why should she care who was interested in him?

Yet as she watched Nick and Leelee share a laugh together, Madison began to feel ill all over again.


	8. Are You a Virgin?

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan fic well._

Chapter 8: Are You a Virgin?

**Paired video: "****I'll never get over you****" by ****Myssie71**** (Nick/Madison) and ****"Love Takes Two" by born2reborn (Xander/Vida)**

_(A few hours later)_

"Well, Nick's shift is over, so he just left to go home, and Xander's been home for hours getting ready for his big date tonight," Vida informed Madison with notable irritation in her voice at mention of the second boy as she joined her sister in the Rock Porium back office. "So, what's up? You said earlier you wanted to talk."

"Do you think second chances are a lie?" Madison asked hesitantly. "Well, it depends on who you are dealing with, I guess," shrugged Vida. "Yeah…" agreed Madison, shaking her head somewhat sadly. "Anyway, how are things going with you and Xander? "Ummmm, not so great," admitted Vida.

"Seemed like you two were having an argument earlier when I got to the store," recalled Madison. "Is X really going out with another girl tonight?"

"I don't know what he wants us to be!" exclaimed Vida, throwing her hands up in the air. "Are we a couple? Are we just hanging out? Is it for sex because if it is…"

"If it is, what?" Madison interrupted intently.

"That's not enough for me," answered Vida firmly.

"Bad experience?" asked Madison, giving her sister a sympathetic smile.

Vida looked back with a kind of sheepish grin when the truth suddenly hit Madison. They for some reason had never talked about it, and Madison all these years had just assumed….

" What, are you… are you a virgin?" Madison asked her sister with surprise.

"Yeah," responded Vida confidently. "So what if I am?"

"Good for you," replied Madison, giving her sister a look of respect. "I guess, I just thought…"

"Hey, just 'cause I'm the rocker rebel type doesn't mean…" laughed Vida.

"Ok, Ok, I get it," chuckled Madison, cutting in. "So what are you going to do?"

"Try and get some answers, I guess, after Xander gets back from his date tonight," said Vida.

"Did Nick tell you what happened between us?" asked Madison, changing the topic.

"Yeah," nodded Vida. "He just said that you weren't ready for a relationship. Not that I blame you after what happened with Ben."

"Did he tell you about Leelee?" Madison questioned further, not wanting to talk about her own recent experience with her almost-rapist of an ex-boyfriend.

" Everyone knows Leelee's had a thing for Nick since he first got to town," snorted Vida disgustedly.

"Why, how do you feel about the whole Nick/Leelee thing?" "Nick's fair game," shrugged Madison, but failing in her attempt to sound nonchalant. "Plus, Leelee's really not the dating kind, if you know what I mean."

Vida shot her sister a knowing smile of agreement, and the two returned to counting the store receipts. But the only thing Madison could focus on was how sick she still felt at the thought of Nick and Leelee together. Still, something gnawing inside at Madison that she couldn't quite put her finger on made her feel afraid to want to get close to Nick romantically; the same gnawing that had made her tell him earlier that she just wanted to be friends.

"Is connecting with someone really this complicated, or is it simple, and we just make it worse?" Madison asked her sister, interrupting their silence."For me it's complicated," answered Vida. "You just make it worse."

"Thanks," replied Madison sarcastically. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nick's not Ben!" exclaimed Vida. "You shouldn't let bad things that have happened in the past affect what's going on in your life right now. You've liked Nick, and he's made it clear he likes you. Now, you finally have a chance to be with him!"

"But Leelee…" protested Madison.

"…and Nick are not together," sighed Vida. "Stop making excuses, Sis, and just go for it."

"Thanks, I think I will," replied Madison slowly. "Can I borrow your car to drive over to Nick's now?"

"Of course. If my own love life is gonna suck, the least I can do is help yours to be happy. Now go!" insisted Vida, waving Madison off.

"Thanks, Sis! You're the best!" said Madison.

"Sure, just leave me to close up shop and walk two and a half miles home from work," she complained to herself good-humoredly once her sister was out the door.


	9. I Want Them, I Want You

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan __fic__ well._

Chapter 9: I Want Them, I Want You

**Paired video: "****Back ****To**** Your Heart" by ****NickMadisonFan**

_(A __few minutes later_

Madison's stomach had major butterflies fluttering around as she drove her sister's car toward Nick's to confess her feelings for him and admit she was wrong about saying they shouldn't be together. And now, as Madison got out the jeep at his house, those butterflies were really whipping up a storm. She nervously pulled down her white tank top underneath her tight, sky blue, velvet hoddie. Knocking on Nick's front door, Madison couldn't believe after all this time and so many missed changes, they were finally about to get together at last.

"I think the pizza's here," she heard Nick from behind the closed door to someone else inside the house. "Oh, Maddie," he said after opening the door, looking surprised to see her there.

"Hey," greeted Madison, feeling equally surprised to see Nick shirtless at the entrance to his home. "I heard about Xander and Vida's fight," she offered lamely, pulling on a strand of her long, loose brown locks as she tried to avoid looking at Nick's chiseled body to calm the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Those two will be alright," reassured Nick as he wiped his hands on his faded jeans. "So… what's up?" he asked after a short paused, which Madison translated to mean, 'Why are you at my house unannounced?'

"Nick, I made a mistake," began Madison in a rush, finally meeting his gaze as she scuffed her white sandals together nervously on his doorstep. "When you said you loved me the night you saved me at Ben's party and then when you said you wanted to be with me at the Rock Porium, I got, I got scared, because of what I had been through with Ben, and I was afraid of getting betrayed again by someone who said they cared for me but…"

"Maddie…" began Nick hesitantly, but stopped when she held up her hand. "But, you're not Ben, and the truth is, I want all the same things that you want, I do," continued Madison urgently as she shoved her hands in the pockets of her dark jeans. "And I want them with you."

Before Nick could respond, they both heard footsteps coming from behind him inside the house and spun around. Seeing a girl emerge – some of whose outer layers clothes were clearly missing as well, Madison's butterflies immediately turned to lead which caused her stomach to plummet. All she could do was just stare at the blonde inside Nick's house, wearing in tight jeans and low-cut black tank top as some of curls had come loose from her ponytail.

"OK motorcycle boy, you ready to go for a ride?" the girl asked Nick teasingly. "Oh hey," she greeted, finally noticing Madison. "Maddie…" said Nick again, looking at her apologetically.

Yet all Madison could do was stare taken aback at the scantily-clad girl inside Nick's house.

It was Leelee.


	10. The Accident

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan __fic__ well._

Chapter 10: The Accident

**Paired YouTube videos: ****"The Day I Fall In Love," by ****NickMadisonFan**** (Nick/Madison), ****"When There Was ****Me**** and You," by ****spdekapink****Xander****/Via), ****"****(Mystic Force) ****Leelee****Pimvare**** - Toxic Vixen" by ****princesshikki**

Nick was hooking up with Leelee.

Madison wouldn't have believed it if she had heard it from someone else, considering Nick had just told her a few hours ago inside the Rock Porium that he did love her and wanted to be with her. But standing in Nick's doorway, finding him shirtless and Leelee's upper half also scantily clad in just a low-cut black tank top, Madison couldn't deny the facts. She just couldn't decide which she felt worse about: confessing her own feelings at last for Nick when he had already moved on or just here she was literally face-to-face with another blown opportunity to be with the boy she had really wanted all along.

"Maddie… " repeated Nick; his voice sounding hoarse this time as his eyes scanned back and forth between her and Leelee.

"No, I'm… I'm sorry," chocked out Madison. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Nick. Leelee."

Madison spun around so that Nick wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. As she hurried down his front steps, Madison realized that she hadn't known exactly how much she felt for Nick until this moment when she realized she had lost him for good to another girl. Why hadn't see figured out sooner that she too was in…

At that moment, Madison heard her cell phone start to ring just as she reached the last step. Pausing, Madison pulled the cell from her pocket and flipped it open. Glancing back up at Nick's house, she saw with surprise that Nick and Leelee were still in the doorway watching her.

"Hello?" answered Madison, glad that she was a good distance away from the pair so that the tears in her voice wouldn't be heard. "Yes, this is she…" started Madison hesitantly, not recognizing the voice on the other end.

Then, when Madison was sure her heart couldn't feel any worse, words came over the receiver that to her horror proved her wrong.

"Ohmygosh…." whispered Madison; her voiced mixture with fright and disbelief. "Yes, yes. I can be right there. Thank you for letting me know."

"What is it?" she heard Nick call from back at the house; Leelee remaining next to him.

"Xander…" began Madison as tears finally did start to stream down her face. "There's been an accident…"

**A/N: Final chapter coming up! Is Xander OK? How will Vida react? And Nick and Madison's relationship??? Find out in the conclusion of "Saving Me." **


	11. Saving Me

_Disclaimer: This story was inspired and adapted from season 1 of the TV show, "One Tree Hill. Neither "One Tree Hill" nor "Power Rangers" belongs to me. Some parts of "Saving Me" may be slightly AU at points, but the story's intent is to remain true to the spirit of the Mystic Force series. _

_Paired videos have not been made specifically to go along with story, __but are ones that I happen to come across on the site that I think fit the action and/or mood of that specific fan fic well._

Chapter 11: Saving Me

**Paired YouTube video: "****Everytime We Touch****" by NickMadisonFan**** (Maddick, Vander) **

_(A __half hour later)_

"XANDER!!!" Nick and Madison shouted simultaneously with equal concern when they finally caught sight of their friend on one of the many hospital beds lining the corridor.

"Hey guys," Xander greeted his friends with his usual Aussie charm, though notably sounding a little more weary-ridden than usually.

"Your friend is very lucky he only broke his arm," said the nurse who was checking over the cast on Xander's left arm before fitting it into a shoulder sling. "With the fall he took trying to go down that handrail on his skateboard, he could have ended up a lot worse."

"Xander, what were you thinking?!?" asked Madison, throwing her hands up in the air with exasperation.

"I don't want to get into it," mumbled Xander, not eager to talk about how the missed trick had been the result of his preoccupation from wondering why he still felt awful about going on his pre-arranged date that night when he and Vida were just hooking up. Ironically, his accident had made the whole issue null and void since he had already called his date to tell her his only dinner plans tonight would be a tray of hospital food.

"Come on X, let's just get you home," said Nick. "We've already told the doctors were driving you back since your parents are out of town."

"Wait, where's Vida?" asked Xander, hoping she hadn't decided not to come because she wasn't still steaming from their spat earlier over his date. "Didn't see come with you guys?"

"No, she was at the record store, and I took our car to drive to Nick's house when I got the call from the hospital here that you had been hurt and …" started Madison, growing more uncomfortable with each word as she recalled arriving at Nick's house what now seemed like hours ago to tell him she wanted to be with him, only to find him there shirtless with a scantily-clad Leelee by his side.

"Eh, Maddie, you were at Nick's house huh?" teased Xander knowingly, winking at the pair.

"It wasn't like that," muttered Nick under his breath.

"Yeah, I wonder why," mumbled Madison sarcastically, just thankful that Leelee for once had the good sense not to tag along to the hospital with them. "Anyway, I kept calling Vida's cell to try to tell her what happened to you, but only got her voicemail. So let's just get you home for now, OK Xander?"

"Home right," repeated Xander somewhat distractedly, partly because his home was not the first destination he had in mind.

* * *

_(Meanwhile)_

"Hey, it's me," began Vida awkwardly upon getting Xander's voicemail, getting up and pacing around her bedroom. "I got a message on my cell from Maddie, telling me you were in the hospital. I wanted to come over too, but Maddie had the car, and she didn't say what hospital you were at. Um, I guess I'm just worried about you. I really hate the way we ended things…" "So do I," she suddenly heard a male voice interrupt.

Instantly recognizing Xander's voice, Vida let out a gasp. She then spun around to see the Aussie strangling her windowsill and wincing as he held his clearly injured arm that being supported by a sling. Vida no longer registered the muffled sounds of her parents drifting through the wall that separated their back-to-back bedrooms as all her previous resentment toward Xander for still having wanted to go on his pre-arranged date prior their hooking up melted away upon seeing not only the pain, but also the regret, written on his face.

"How are you?" asked Vida with great concern as she put down her phone.

"Not so good," replied Xander softly. "Can I…"

He gestured toward her room, and Vida moved over to help him over the windowsill. Landing unsteadily inside her room, Xander half fell into Vida's arms and gave a half-yelp of pain as his injured arm smashed against her stomach. Steadying him, Vida pulled Xander into a deep embrace. They stood there hugging each other for a long time, neither wanting to leave the comfort of each other's arms. Finally, they both sat down on Vida's bed.

"I made a lot of mistakes, Vida," began Xander solemnly; his rare moment of modesty causing Vida's eyes to widen in surprise. "And I just can't do it anymore."

"It's OK…" Vida started to reassure him, completely won over by his honesty.

"No. No, it's not OK! I'm not OK," exclaimed Xander with such force, it caused them both to be silent for a few moments. "I was in so much pain after the skateboard accident, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt when I realized how much I hurt you today by telling you I was still going to go on that date I had set up before things happened between us."

"Xander…" Vida tried to interject again.

"No, let me get this out," beseeched Xander, looking at her urgently. "Lying in that hospital bed, I was so scared I was never going to get to tell you all this. But I promised myself that if I could just get up, and get over to you, and tell you how much I need you, and how much I want you, then nothing else mattered."

Stunned, Vida moved to run her hand through Xander's short brown locks while trying to soak in all that he had just said. Then it hit her. Xander really did care about her. Vida's eyes shined with happiness as she gazed at Xander, who still looked worried sick with concern as to whether she had actually forgiven him. Wanting to reassure him that despite all that had happened earlier in the day she still felt the same way, Vida slowly leaned forward to kiss him. Afterward, she let her lips linger on his as her hand gently stroked his cheek. Smiling up at Xander, she grinned even broader as she saw his expression of worry change to one of wonderment and then joy.

It was at that moment that certain parts of her parents' conversation on the other side of her bedroom wall drew Vida's attention away.

"I'm so happy we can finally tell the girls that you got a new job in Briarwood, Honey," Vida heard her mom say.

"And I'm so happy we'll never have to tell the girls we almost had to move halfway across the country if I didn't," chuckled her father.

"Xander, did you…" began Vida; so excited by the good news that voice practically squeaked.

"Yeah, I did!" cut in Xander, sounding equally as excited.

"I'm saved!" sighed Vida blissfully as she threw her arms around Xander's neck with such force that their noses end up bumping.

"No, I am," whispered Xander softly, grinning slightly before kissing Vida passionately again.

* * *

_(Meanwhile)_

"You think if Xander and Vida were going to kiss, they would have at least closed the curtain," commented Nick as he watched the scene that was in plain view in front of him from where Madison's car was parked on the Rocco driveway.

"I couldn't agree more," answered Madison, squirming down in the front seat of the jeep so that she couldn't see.

"Awww, I think Vander is pretty cute together," joked Nick.

"I don't know. It's weird for me to watch my sister kissing anyone," grimaced Madison. "Almost as weird as… as you and Leelee being a couple."

"WHAT?!?" exclaimed Nick, doing a double-take. "Me and…" stuttered Nick, so grossed out by the idea he was unable to repeat the words. "Maddie, what are you talking about?!?"

"When I came over earlier, you were there with Leelee shirtless," reminded Madison, trying hard to sound nonchalant. "And as I recall, she wasn't wearing much on her top either. Look, if being with Leelee makes you happy, then I'm happy…"

"Hold on, Maddie," interrupted Nick quickly. "Let me explain. Leelee was only over at my house 'cause she wanted to look at my motorcycle magazines and get my advice 'cause she wants to lease her mom a used one for her birthday. And the air conditioning has been broken at my house all week. That's why we… well, why we looked the way we did."

"Oh," was all Madison could muster, ducking her head away in embarrassment.

"Come on, I just told you earlier in the day that I was still in love with you," recollected Nick, sounding slightly resentful at the memory of being rejected by Madison. "Do you really think I'm the type of person that would use those words with such little care? That I could just move on with some other girl a few hours later?"

"So, you haven't moved on, then?" asked Madison intently, sitting up in the driver's seat. "You… you still love me?"

"When you were at my house earlier," began Nick, ignoring Madison's question. "Before Leelee came out and interrupted, you told me you realized you wanted all the same things I did. And that you wanted them with me. Is that still true?"

"I guess we're both alike then, 'cause I can't move on from you that quickly either." remarked Madison softly. "I… I love you, Nick," she stammered, seeing the boy's eyes widen in surprise. "I think I knew it from our conversation under the tree that first day you came to Briarwood. And I think I still have this entire time, even when I was with Ben."

"Wow," grinned Nick, now the one speechless.

"So, you still love me, too? You want us to be together?" asked Madison; urgency in her voice.

"How's this for my answer?" murmured Nick, looping a finger around her chin and drawing him toward her.

Nick and Madison met in a gentle kiss at the center of the car. The blissful happiness that instantly overtook Madison left her practically senseless. Kiss after deep kiss, she wondered if Nick was feeling the same intense butterflies that she was now.

"Wow," repeated Nick again breathlessly when they finally came apart. "We've been through so much that I've gotta admit there were times I thought this would never happen."

"Me too," grinned Madison as Nick kissed her fingertips.

"I've wanted this for so long," admitted Nick bashfully, stroking her hand. "I can't believe you've felt this way about me the whole time, too."

"How could I not be completely in love with the guy who is always saving me?" replied Madison adoringly. "From abusive boyfriends. From monsters with sniper guns. From monsters trying to turn me into a stone statue forever…"

"No, you got it all wrong," cut in Nick, giving a little laugh. "You're the one that's always saving me."

"What do you mean?" asked Madison in confusion.

"When we were battling the Master, I wanted to give up until your words gave me the strength and courage to go on fighting," said Nick. "Remember that?"

"I did that?" smiled Madison sheepishly.

"But you had already saved me even before that. Under that tree the first day in Briarwood," continued Nick. "Hearing that you wanted me to stay helped me find a place to call home for the first time in my life. Not to mention my real parents. And my real friends."

"How about this?" started Madison as she hoped across the car onto Nick's lap and snuggled into his arms. "I'll always be there to save you if you're always there to save me?"

"That would mean we would have to be together for a very long time to come," commented Nick, brushing back a strand of her dark hair before kissing her softly.

"I like the sound of that," answered Madison; her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him adoringly.

"So do I," smiled Nick before leaning down to kiss her again.

**The End **

* * *

**A/N:** Well, that's all folks! For those who I promised another Mystic Force story to after "Under Your Spell," I hope "Saving Me" lived up to your expectations! 

Thank you to all who read this story and especially to those of you who reviewed, including **LiLiAnKa, fire dragonheart, yellow power, myeveryday1993, CindyRussell27, Pink-Ranger-Mode, Blue Eyed Dragon Girl, Dark Romance Writer, Toffy, Kelly101, welleg, Ambermist-29Down, christina, Tyjet Ansatsu, Ambermist-29Down, thikle, MaddieandNick, ****Lethal Weapon954 and to anyone I left out by accident. **

Finally, a special thanks to** Enigmaforum, Overdrive Red** and **angel17712** for always listening to me ramble on about writing and everything else and for always being such good friends no matter where this fan fiction stuff or the PR series goes!

**In the meantime, I hope y'all will check out my latest story, "Scavenger Hunt" featuring a Kira/Conner pairing from PRDT.** And I look forward to seeing y'all around the site! Happy Thanksgiving, and happy fan fic writing!


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